


Cinnamon Americano

by Drowned_in_Feels



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Christmas Shopping, First Meetings, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, soul marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 12:23:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6239101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drowned_in_Feels/pseuds/Drowned_in_Feels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which two soulmates meet in a coffee shop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cinnamon Americano

**Author's Note:**

> Please note: English is not my native language. I apologise for every grammar, spelling or punctuation mistake I might have made.

**Arthur**

It was the 24th of December and Arthur hated last-minute Christmas shopping. It was still dark outside but Morgana, his sister, had insisted on getting up early so that they wouldn't have to get through the masses of other people that had forgotten to buy presents before.

But today was also the day Arthur was going to meet his soulmate, at least according to the mark on his forearm. Everybody had one. From your birth on you would have the date on which you would meet your perfect match tatooed on your arm and in the moment you meet, their first words directed at you would appear right underneath the date.

Arthur didn't want to meet his soulmate in a shopping centre but he had no other choice since he had promised Morgana to go buy presents with her and she had chosen this date knowing that it was the day Arthur had been waiting for throughout his entire life.

“How are you supposed to meet him”, she argued, “if you don't go out?”

“Well, I guess the universe or whatever would figure something out”, Arthur replied grumpily.

However, he still found himself in a shopping centre on the 24th of December.

“I can't do this without caffeine”, he said pulling Morgana to the first coffee shop he spotted.

“Fine. If it makes you lighten up a bit.” She rolled her eyes. “I'll wait here for you.” She sat down on the nearest bench.

Arthur nodded. “OK. I'll be right back. You want anything?”

“No, thanks.”

Still in a bad mood, Arthur entered the coffee shop. He looked around and spotted a businessman sitting at a table and absently having breakfast but besides of that man, he was the only customer.

The barrista smiled broadly at Arthur from behind the counter. He must have had a few coffees already because nobody could be that awake and gleeful so early in the morning, Arthur figured.

The man opened his mouth to welcome Arthur in the shop but before he could say a word Arthur cut him off. “One cinnamon Americano, please.”

He must have noticed that Arthur was in a bad temper so he didn't attempt to do small talk, which Arthur was very grateful for. He watched the barrista prepare his drink. He was kind of cute, Arthur noticed, with his black hair and his happy smile.

When he turned around again Arthur could read his name tag. _Merlin_ , it said. Funny name, he thought.

Merlin pushed his order across the counter and smiled at him, his eyes twinkling. “Here you go, you dollophead.”

“Sorry?” Was that an insult? Since when did coffee shop employees insult their customers?

But the barrista just laughed it off. “Never mind.”

Confused, Arthur paid for his coffee and left the shop

He then spent the next couple of hours shopping with Morgana who decided at some point that Arthur could use some new clothes.

“Look, this shirt really matches your eyes!”

“I don't need it.”

“Come on, at least try it on.” She shoved the shirt into his hands and himself towards one of the stalls.

It was only then when he pulled off his long-sleeved jumper that he noticed some new writing on his forearm.

“Morgana!!” Shirtless, he stumbled out of the stall. “Look!!”

She read what it said on his arm. “ _Here you go, you dollophead._ What's that even supposed to mean?”

He gripped her tight and brought his face close to hers. His eyes were wide with excitement. “That's what the barrista said to me this morning! He's the one! I have to go tell him”

He started towards the exit of the clothing store but Morgana held him back. “Maybe you want to get dressed first?”

 

 

**Merlin**

It sucked that he had to work on the day he was supposed to meet his soulmate but Merlin couldn't complain because his boss hated him. He was already on the edge of getting fired and he really needed that job.

So he tried to be cheerful about it. He greeted every customer with a smile and tried to give them some of his happiness. Most of them left the store looking a bit less grumpy.

But he knew from the moment he walked through the door. that the disgruntled man with the hair like sunshine couldn't be warmed up. He wanted to try though but the man didn't give him any chance so Merlin remained silent while preparing his Americano.

However, he decided to mess with his customer a little bit just to take his mind off whatever dark business he had in his head. “Here you go, you dollophead.” He didn't know what that word meant, he had never heard nor used it before. It had just popped into his head.

“Sorry?” His face was priceless, maybe he should have taken a picture to show Gwen later.

“Never mind.” He never thought he'd see that man again.

Time went by slowly and Merlin still had quite a few hours of his shift left when he rolled up his sleeves only to notice a few new words on his arm, right underneath today's date.

He freaked out. There were no customers there at that point so nobody was there to calm him down.

What should he do? Search for the man? But how should he find him? And he would most definitely get fired for leaving the shop alone.. He would need somebody to take the last hours of his shift. He called Gwen. He was sure she would come since they were best friends and this was an emergency.

She answered the phone. “Hello?” She sounded tired.

“Gwen, hi. This is Merlin. Did I wake you up?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry about that but you have to come here immediately. Please.”

“Merlin, what's wrong?”

“You know what's today?”

“Yes, it's your.. oh my god, Merlin, did you meet him?” She was excited.

“Yes but he's gone and I have to find him but I can't leave the shop and -”

“Shut up, I'll be there in a sec.”

Five minutes later Gwen was standing in front of him. How did she get here that quickly? “What are you waiting for? Go!!”

“Thank you.” Merlin handed her his apron and bolted out of the shop.

Where should he start searching? He looked around and ran into someone. “Excu-”

But the words never left his mouth for the person he had walked into was no other than the golden-haired man from this morning.

 

 

They stared at each other, searching for something in each other's eyes that would tell them that their marks where right about them, that they were made for each other.

Finally, Arthur broke the silence. “One cinnamon Americano, please.”

Merlin pushed up his sleeve to reveal the writing of that exact sentence. “Here you go, you dollophead.”

In return, Arthur showed Merlin these words written on his forearm.

They locked eyes and something _clicked_. Suddenly, the world seemed brighter, happier, as if every bad thing in existence took a day off to celebrate that these two finally found each other. They both knew that from that moment on they would not survive being separated ever again, that they needed each other's presence like air to breath.

They hugged. It seemed so natural to be that close to one another. It felt like they had known each other for years, like they would hug every day. Neither of them could believe that they had only met this morning.

Gwen and Morgana watched them. Gwen from within the store, Morgana from just behind Arthur and even they could see that these two belonged together and that together, they were unstoppable.

Arthur whispered into Merlin's ear. “What does _dollophead_ even mean?”

Merlin squeezed his body just a bit closer. “It's idiomatic.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> OK, so I realise this is not the best fanfic ever but I felt like writing it so here it is.  
> Please, leave any kind of Feedback. Thanks. :)


End file.
